Memoirs of an Assassin
by Siha
Summary: Thane Krios is the most revered assassin in the universe, Shepard is a legendary ghost. Can Thane correct his past mistakes with his son Kolyat and can Shepard ever let go of Kaiden and love a dying man? Rated for Language & Violence. Spoilers! R&R.
1. Prologue

**AN: So, I had this idea floating around in my head all day today and had to let it out. Unlike my other ME2 fanfic which is currently AU with OCC characters, This fanfic will follow the story line of ME2 with IC characters and Thane's personal feelings/thoughts/experiences with my own tweaking. I'm thinking about having a whole love triangle with Shepard/Thane/Garrus but, we will cross that bridge when we get there right? Anyways, here is the Prologue. All I can give at this moment cause of school, I'll get the first chapter up soon.**

**Enjoy~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bioware or any of the characters.**

* * *

Thane sat in the private room of Eternity on Illium. The lights were dim and he sat there quietly cleaning his pistol. The peace before the storm, he told himself. This was his last job in his thirty-nine years as an Assassin. Trained by the Hanar when he turned six, first kill when he was twelve. Looking back he didn't have any "child-hood memories." He neither thought about nor wanted to remember. No good memories to cling to, his life had been nothing but death and loss.

Thane sighed heavily; he looked forward to the end. His lung disease was going to catch up to him soon and when it did he wanted to make sure the galaxy was a brighter place before he died. Nassana was a ruthless corporate executive. Killing those she saw as a threat and sometimes killing the very people she hired. She deserved to die. She would die.

Thane lifted his head and listened to the other participants at the bar carefully. Sometimes, listening was the best way to get information as word often traveled fast. He ignored the bachelor's party with the slightly annoyed Salarian complaining to his human and Turian co-workers as well as the Turian attempting to but horribly failing at trying to hint his affection to a Quarian. His interest settled on a customer talking to an Asari bar tender.

"I heard Commander Shepard just docked here in Illium. I hope she comes to Eternity so I can buy her a drink." The Turian told the Asari before finishing his drink and leaving the counter. Thane put his pistol in its holder walking up to the bar and sitting down.

"What can I get you hun?" the Asari asked while drying a glass.

"Actually, I over heard the Turian talking about a Commander Shepard, who is she?" Thane asked clasping his hands and setting them on the counter.

"You haven't ever heard the name Shepard? You must live under a rock, are you trying to joke with me hun?" the Asari asked but she could tell by Thane's un-faltered expression that he wasn't.

"Ah- well, Shepard is a well known N7 Alliance marine. She was the first human Spectre as well as commanding officer of the _Normandy_. She saved the citadel from an attack by Saren, a rouge Spectre and his geth army."

"She sounds like an amazing person."

"Yeah, I'm sure she was."

"Was?" Thane inquired.

"She was reported KIA two years ago. I'm pretty sure the rumors floating around are just that. Rumors."

"I see." Thane said and gave her his thanks leaving the bar. Many things on his mind, he wished he could have met this Shepard person, it seemed like they had similar goals. Thane smiled a bit. Wish-full thinking. Thane stopped as his omni-tool suddenly lit up with an e-mail from his contact.

"The shipping office is clear of all personnel right now, I can take you to Dantius. Come soon Thane. - Seryna"

Thane took a moment to collect himself and his thoughts. He knew he was going to die and the sudden realization of it hit him like a punch to the face. His stomach twisted and he began to feel regret. He regretted not being there when Irikah died, he regretted abandoning his son and most of all he regretted not ever being there for his son once or explaining to him why things were the way they were. Thane re-collected himself and told himself that this was for the best. Besides, the galaxy was a dangerous place while he was alive.

* * *

**Yup, there is the prologue. I was playing with title names when this one suddenly hit me and stuck. **

**I hope this turns into a long story but we will see. R&R**


	2. The Assassin

**Yay Chapter 1 :)  
**

**This Fanfic takes a lot of brain power so I may be slow on updating ^_^;**

**Also lots of Dialog from the game! So official spoiler alert.  
**

**Enjoy~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bioware of any of the characters.**

* * *

Thane walked towards the shipping office, the area was completely empty of all personnel. The work day had ended and the sunset was the only source of light that filled the room. Thane slowed his pace trying to enjoy his last evening.

"Taking your time Thane?" Seryna's voice called to him. Thane looked up to see his Asari contact standing by a red car waiting for him.

"I was praying to Amonkira for a successful hunt."

"You and me both." Seryna said casually looking over her shoulder. Thane nodded his head and stared at the Dantius towers for a moment.

"Are you OK Thane?" Seryna asked and Thane could hear the concern in her voice.

"Yes, I am fine. Lets go." he replied as he climbed into the car with the Asari. Seryna started the car and it lurched forward towards Thane's target.

"She's expecting trouble." Seryna said softly.

"She will never see, or hear me coming." Thane replied clasping his hands as he bowed his head, closing his eyes to pray again. Seryna watched him for a moment and wondered how such a deadly man who was as lethal as he was sexy had a spiritual side at all. Then again, she wasn't a Drell.

"Thane... good luck." Seryna said putting her hand on his shoulder, she thought she saw him smile for a moment.

"You have been to kind Seryna." Thane said looking over at her as she smiled softly,

"I'd just hate to see you not come out of this mess alive."

Thane chose his next words carefully.

"We we see what happens." he settled on and in the back of his mind he thought maybe, just maybe Arashu had something else planned for him. Something more. Seryna pulled the car up to the landing platform of the second Dantius tower which was still under construction.

"If you get out of this alive, I will buy you a drink." Seryna said breaking the silence as Thane looked up at the building before turning to Seryna.

"Thank you again Seryna," Thane paused for a moment, "I won't let you down." he finished climbing out of the car and walking towards the building willingly knowing he was most likely walking towards his demise though this did nothing to change his mind. He was going to kill Nassana Dantius and that would be the end of it.

Slowly, carefully, Thane made his way through the ventilation system of the building. Killing lone mercs here and there and saving Salarian workers that were trapped. The first sounds of gunfire set Thane's heart racing, had they discovered his trail? After killing two mercs and accidentally letting one slide down a shaft he picked up a radio headset and listened in,

"What the hell is going on out there?!" Nassana yelled over the radio frequency.

"There are three intruders. A human, a Turian and a Krogan!" one merc replied.

"I don't care what the hell they are! There are only three of them! Do your damn job!"

"Yes ma'am!" the same merc replied and Thane could distinctly hear the sounds of yelling and gunning in the background. Were these people after Nassana as well? It didn't matter, Thane would reach her first. He eventually reached the end of the vent shaft that hung directly above Nassana's office. Thane was about to jump down the vent but he heard the door bust open and he froze. He wanted to know who these people were.

Nassana turned towards the door as the three people walked through the door. He heard a small gasp escape Nassana's mouth.

"Wait." she ordered her guards and they lowered their guns. "Shepard? But... your dead."

"Shepard!" Thane thought growing tense with anxiety. He desperately wanted to kill Nassana and meet her but, his curiosity got the better of him as he eavesdropped on them.

"I got better." he heard a different female voice say, presumably Shepard's.

"Before you kill me, just tell me who hired you." Nassana said coolly.

"I'm not an assassin, Nassana. But I am looking for one."

Thane's hand twitched a bit, Shepard was looking for him?

"You break in here and decimate my security just to find the person who's here to kill me? What are you playing at, Shepard? Is it credits? Is that what you want? Just tell me your price we can make this problem go away."

_"_All the credits in the world isn't going to make this problem go away Nassana." Shepard said with a slightly amused tone in her voice.

"Screw you! Who the hell gave you the right to play god?"

"Charming as ever Nassana."

"I may not be perfect but look at you. We both kill people for money, what's the difference?"

"You kill people because you think they're beneath you, they're in your way. I kill people when they leave me no choice."

"You've got a choice, you don't have to do this. I can tell you-what?" Nassana snapped at the guard standing next to her as they swung their gun around scanning the room.

"I heard something." The Asari commando firmly stated.

"Shit." Thane thought and stopped moving, holding his breath.

"Damn it. Check the other entrances!" Nassana ordered her remaining guards. "You… stay put." Nassana said pointing a finger towards Shepard.

This was his chance.

Careful not to make any noise, Thane dropped down from the vent and landed quietly on his feet. He reached up at the merc standing in front of him and broke his neck,

"When I'm finished dealing with this nuisance, you and I are going to…"

Turning to the left as he punched another guard squarely in the throat.

"Who...?" Nassana started to say as the body of the first merc hit the floor.

Thane reached for his pistol pulling it out and with speed and accuracy shot the Asari commando before turning on the his feet towards Nassana. He grabbed her arm that had been swinging around and he pushed his pistol against her body not giving another thought as he pulled the trigger. He held Nassana in his arms, cradling her head in his hand as she slumped forward looking up and directly in Thane's eyes. His expression did not change as he carefully laid her across her desk and folded her arms over her chest. It was done. Thane lowered his head and clasped his hands together and he began to pray.

"Impressive. You certainly know how to make an entrance." He heard someone, a Turian say.

"I was hoping to talk to you." Shepard stated.

"I apologize but, prayers for the wicked must not be forsaken." He answered softly.

"Do you really think she deserves it?" Shepard asked him. He looked up at her, a pained expression on his face, not one that they would notice.

"Not for her. For me. The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by actions alone. Take you, for instance. All this destruction…chaos. I was curious to see how far you'd go to find me." He said walking towards her slowly. "Well…here I am."

"I do want to talk to you but, how did you know I was here?" Shepard asked. He could see the curiosity in her eyes. He walked forward towards the door looking away from her.

"I didn't. Not until you marched in the front door and started shooting. Gunfire and explosions, I prefer to work quietly. If I have to fight my way through guards I've made a mistake. I rarely make mistakes." Thane said clasping his hands behind his back, "Nassana had become paranoid. You saw the strength of her guard force. She believed one of her sisters would kill her." He stated looking back at her over his shoulder. "You were a valuable distraction."

"Let's cut to the chase. I need you for a mission." She said crossing her arms.

"Indeed?"

"You're familiar with the Collectors?" She asked as he turned to face her.

"By reputation."

"They're abducting entire human colonies. Freedom's Progress was their handiwork." She said. He lowered his head a bit,

"I see."

"We're going after them." She stated. He turned sharply to look at her, surprised.

"Attacking the Collectors would require passing through the Omega 4 relay. No ship has ever returned from doing so." He told her hoping to dismay her. But she was ready.

"They told me it was impossible to get to Ilos, too."

"A fair point. You've built a career on performing the impossible." He turned away looking out the window of the office. "This was to be my last job. I'm dying." He told her looking over at his side to see her eyes fill up with concern. "Low survival odds don't concern me. The abduction of your colonists does."

"I hadn't heard that... Is there-anything I can do?" she asked quietly.

"Giving me this opportunity is enough. The universe is a dark place, I'm trying to make it brighter before I die. Many innocence died today. I wasn't fast enough and they suffered, I must atone for that. I will work for you Shepard. No charge." He stated as he shook hands with her, she smiled briefly at him as she guided him back to the Normandy. This is where it began. Truly began. Praise Amonkira.

* * *

**Yay all done! Sorry it took so long! ^_^;**

**Anyways yes I re-worded the dialog and even added in bits & pieces from different dialog options but doing so makes it so much more interesting! Anyways gotta figure out where I want the next chapter to be planned on, suggestions? Of course I can't do Garrus's, Mordin's, Grunt's and Jack's recruitment missions as they come before the arrival of Thane but any recruitment/loyalty missions are free to expand upon. If you had a idea as to where I should start next, add them in a review I don't care about the order of the loyalty missions either. If you see any grammar/spelling errors please PM me so I can fix it encase I miss it.**

** Reviews encourage me to keep writing so don't forget to submit one! Don't be shy!  
**


	3. The Normandy

**OMG this is getting easier and easier to write even though I'm playing the game as I write to get the Dialog LOL!**

**~Enjoy **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bioware of any of the characters.**

* * *

Shepard guided Thane through the upper deck of the Normandy introducing him to Joker, Kelly and Mordin before showing him the debriefing room. As they entered Mr. Jacob Taylor was waiting for them,

"I've heard impressive stories, Krios. Sounds like you'll be an asset to the team… That is, if you're comfortable with an assassin watching your back." Jacob remarked although this didn't affect Thane,

"I've accepted a contract. My arm is Shepard's."

"Uh-hu. Don't know about you, but I'm loyal to more than my next paycheck."

This slightly annoyed Thane; he was doing this for free. Was Jacob merely trying to irritate him?

Thane opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by Shepard, what she said brought a slight smile to his face and a silent purr to his throat.

"Obviously he is, too. He's doing this mission gratis. What's your concern?"

Thane grinned to himself as Jacob tightened his hand into a fist for a moment.

"I don't like mercenaries. An assassin is just a precise mercenary."

"An assassin is a weapon. A weapon doesn't choose to kill. The one who wields it does." Thane said pausing for a moment, "Where shall I put my things? I'd prefer someplace dry, if anything is available." He said watching as the table lit to life by a speaking blue ball of data.

"The area near the Life Support plant on the third deck tends to be slightly more arid then the rest of the ship." A disembodied voice rang.

"Ah. An AI? My thanks." Thane said half-bowing before he turned towards the door. He stepped out letting it slide shut but stood there for a moment more to listen,

"He seems quite civil." He heard the AI say before logging out.

"We need all the help we can get. He's not what I expected in an assassin. He may surprise you." Shepard said though Thane wasn't sure if it was a compliment or if Shepard disapproved of him.

"Yeah. And he may not." Jacob replied. This brought a grin to Thane's face.

Oh Jacob, this was going to be fun.

Thane made his way to the elevator ignoring all the stares he got from the crew but caught bits of a conversation as he passed Shepard talking to Kelly,

"I don't know if I find him scary or sexy." Kelly said and Shepard laughed a bit,

"A lot of women like bad boys." Shepard said with a casual shrug.

"A lot of women? Like you?" Kelly suggested and Shepard blushed a bit.

"I live a dangerous life. Dangerous men fit right in." Shepard replied as Thane felt a shiver run down his spine. What was Shepard suggesting?

"I like you more and more each day Shepard." Kelly said as the two girls laughed at their petty gossip.

Thane continued to the elevator and as he stepped in he selected the third floor. When the doors slid open he stepped out looking around for a moment before heading off to the right towards Life Support. As soon as he stepped in he felt immediate relief. The AI had been correct. The two years on Illium had really worn his lungs out and they burned constantly but they felt relaxed with the dry air that he now breathed in. He took a moment to look around the small room and he immediately felt, safe. Though who was he kidding, would he even live long enough to see the mission through? He hoped so.

Thane placed his bag on the table provided and began to set his things up, setting his guns and equipment on the shelves and his laptop on the table. Next to his cot he discreetly set a frame with a photo of two Drells under his pillow though he looked at it for a moment. One Drell was dressed in a radiant bright color splashed dress; her sunset colored eyes matched the gown perfectly. She was hugging a smaller Drell, a young child who looked a lot like her with a darker blue pigment to his skin. The child and woman looked very…happy. Thane felt his stomach twist into a knot and it took him all his strength to not slip into memory. He dropped the pillow as the doors to Life Support unlocked and opened he looked up to see who is visitor was, Shepard. He felt warmth rush through him and he quickly took a seat at his table smiling to himself as he noticed a second chair sitting across the table. No, it was too soon he thought as Shepard walked in and stood next to him looking down at him.

"Do you need something?" he asked as he stared at the Drive Core.

"Have a few minutes to talk?" she asked softly.

"Certainly. We haven't had a chance since I joined."

"When we met you, you said you were dying." She said crossing her arms.

"Yes, I thought you'd want to know more. You don't have to worry about the rest of the crew. My illness is not communicable, even to other Drell. It's called Kepral's's Syndrome." Thane explained to her.

"Is there anything we can do here? Normandy has a state of-the-art medical bay." Shepard said trying to offer her hand. Thane felt, gracious.

"No, thank you. It's being attended to. If the finest minds in the Hanar Illuminated Primacy can't solve the problem, I doubt your ship's medic could." Thane took a brief pause as he thought about his words before continuing, "Thank you for your concern. Trust me. This won't affect my performance." He settled on and sighed heavily as she nodded and left the room. As soon as the silence enveloped the room he wish that she had stayed longer to talk more but, he knew she was a busy person.

Thane didn't quite know how to describe Shepard or the word's to use in that case. She was very, eccentric with everything she did. She always seemed to try her best to be kind and offer help when needed. Most of the time he saw her she was smiling and laughing and appreciating…life. Other times though, when certain individuals forced her hand she was scarier than a Varren with a bad case of rabies. Even though he never saw Shepard perform violent acts, he preferred not to and instead kept the smiling image of Shepard embedded into his perfect memory. It also seemed to his observations that even though they were in the middle of building up a team for a suicide mission she always seemed to find time to help certain crew members find the…closure they needed to focus on the mission ahead. Maybe, just maybe, she could help him set his life straight and even help him reconnect with... Thane held the frame carefully in his hands for a moment. A tear rolled down his face and dripped onto the glass as he gazed at the young Drell with a smiling face, Kolyat. His son.

* * *

**Yeah, I know I didn't do much with this chapter. Just wanted to get Thane settled and start the rivalry between Thane and Jacob :D**

**Next chapter I swear will be longer as soon as I figure out whose loyalty/recruitment mission I want to do. Perhaps, Jacobs loyalty mission?**

**Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions?**

**Reviews encourage me to keep writing please submit one!**

**Notice any errors? PM me!  
**

**R&R**


	4. Ghost of the Father

**Thanks to Phoenix who kept my ass on track and encouraged me to hurry up and update, even though she was a formidable distractions with Drell licking, stripping and zipper talk.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bioware or any of their characters.**

* * *

Thane didn't know much about the mission he was going on at all. All he knew was that Shepard had asked him to come along to get some fresh air and that they were going to investigate a signal from the _Gernsback_ that might reconnect Jacob to his father… At first Thane was going to protest the idea, Jacob and Thane weren't really "_cooperating_" but he decided if Shepard thought it best to bring him along then he couldn't refuse. He followed Shepard to the cargo hold and towards the shuttle and he saw Jacob's expression turn icy as he saw who Shepard had picked to bring along.

"Shepard, I don't think this is such a good id-"

"Are you questioning my authority Mr. Taylor?"

"N-no ma'am." Taylor said flatly but tossed a glare Thane's way.

"Thane? You ready?" Shepard asked as she turned to him.

"Yes, let's proceed." He said clasping his hands behind his back as she followed her onto the shuttle. Thane took a seat opposite of Jacob and was surprised when Shepard chose to sit next to him. He saw the corner of Jacob's mouth twitch.

"Focus on the mission, both of you." Shepard said sternly noticing the looks they were giving each other.

"Yes Commander." Jacob said.

"Yes Shepard." Thane said and got a slight kick out of the look Jacob gave him for addressing their commanding officer in such a manner.

"Oh brother." Shepard said under her breath. "Joker! Open the bay door!" she yelled as the ship approached 2175 Aeia.

"Aye captain. Approaching drop point." Joker said over the intercom as the shuttle slid out of the Cargo Hold and then fired to life flying around before eventually settling on some solid ground as they found the landing zone. One by one they climbed out of the shuttle and took the first look at their surroundings. The air was very arid here and this caused Thane to purr slightly, though the other two didn't seem to notice how thin and dry it was.

"I have run a scan of the ship. I detect no life signs, but there may be useful technology or information still inside." EDI informed them.

"Thanks EDI, we're moving out." Shepard said and started towards the huge beached ship.

"There it is. And mostly intact. They could have survived the impact…but it's been years." Jacob said as the approached the ship."Looks like it was stripped after the crash. They'd have tried to get a beacon up as soon as possible."

They were about to go inside when the distress beacon off to the right caught Shepard's interest and she walked over to it.

"Repeat: Toxicology Alert: Danger of rapid neural decay. Local flora chemically incompatible with human physiology." The distress beacon rambled as the group approached it. "Override: Beacon resumed. Pause time, eight years, 237 days, seven hours."

"From the look of it this beacon has been here awhile. Why would they wait years to signal?" Shepard questioned.

"Pause in beacon protocol, eight years, 237 days, seven hours. Pause is recorded as: RECORD DELETED by Acting Captain Ronald Taylor."

"That's not right. My father was first officer." Jacob told Shepard.

"Ronald Taylor was promoted under emergency command protocols. Other flagged issues: Unsafe deceleration. Local food and neural decay. Beacon activation protocols."

"Local food impairs brain functions? What are the effects?" Shepard asked.

"Impairment of mental functions due to chemical imbalance begins within seven days of ingesting local flora, regardless of decontamination or preparation. Impact on higher cognitive abilities and long-term memory is cumulative, but significant within a standard month. It is not known if neural decay is permanent. Data collection was not completed."

"Why wasn't the beacon activated before now?"

"This emergency beacon became functional after 358 days, 12 hours, following the unscheduled suborbital decent of the Hugo Gernsback. Activation was triggered remotely after eight years, 237 days, seven hours, on the authority of acting captain Ronald Taylor. Pause in beacon protocol is recorded as: RECORD DELETED."

"Come on, let's get going." Shepard said looking over her shoulder at the two men who had been giving each other glares instead of paying attention.

"Let's check the ship. My father had the beacon ready for almost nine years. Maybe… that neural decay affected him." Taylor said looking at the ship.

"I doubt that ship carried ten years worth of food on it." Thane's raspy voice replied

"Thane's right, lets continue up the beach." Shepard said as they started their way up the beach.

Half way up the beach the group came across a group of hostile males who appeared to be a part of the crew but when they started running at them, guns blazing the group took cover behind cargo boxes. Jacob leaned out of cover and used throw tossing one of the crew members of the cliff, Thane did the same but instead sent three of the males screaming over a cliff.

"Nice work Thane!" Shepard said over the radio frequency.

"Show off." Jacob mumbled.

"Thane to your left!" Shepard yelled loudly, as Thane popped out from behind cover swinging his sniper around not even aiming as he pulled the trigger watching the head of a crew member pop off, his body twitched before falling to the ground. Everyone was silent for a moment before Shepard began laughing._ Laughing_.

"That was sick as _hell_ Krios." Shepard complimented a grin on her face, Thane inclined his head in acknowledgment and smirked to himself as he saw Jacob roll his eyes.

#

"Is that a settlement? They'd better be friendlier then the beach group, I need answers." Jacob said as they approached a settlement.

"They have the same uniform as our attackers. Defiantly not as aggressive, though." Thane noted.

"Is this an earlier stage, or did the exile make them violent?" Shepard asked looking around.

"Neither possibility explains such a clear gender divide." Thane replied as the females approached them.

"It doesn't matter right now. Once of these people must know what my father has to do with this!" Jacob interrupted. One of the females retailed with either shock or disgust, Thane couldn't tell.

"You have his face! He promised to call the sky, but he sends nothing." One female snapped at Jacob.

"He forced us to eat…to decay. You are cursed with his face!" Another female crew member yelled pointing a finger at Jacob.

"Not the best reaction to the family resemblance Jacob." Shepard said sarcastically crossing her arms.

"Why would my father force his crew to eat toxic food? Whatever is happening here needs to stop."

Thane looked over at Jacob for a moment; he seemed to have problems with his father just as Thane had problems with his...

"Mechs!" Shepard suddenly yelled pulling him out of his thoughts as he dove behind cover.

#

After fighting through ten waves of mech, a heavy mech and a group of overpowered techs Thane was about ready to find Jacob's father and deal with it himself, he leaned against his sniper rifle to catch his breath, his hand sore from using his biotics so much, an ache starting to creep up the back of his head.

"Getting tired Mr. Krios?" he heard Jacob calling as he walked by Shepard's side.

"Not at all _Mr. Taylor_." Thane growled as he raced ahead to catch up to them walking even closer to Shepard, he was pleased when she either didn't notice or didn't bother to comment.

"I think I see him ahead." Shepard said, Jacob's hands tightened around his pistol.

"Your here." The man said turning to face him and Thane was stunned by the family resemblance Shepard had spoke of. "I knew a real squad would blow through just fine. Sorry if the mechs scuffed your pants."

"They did _more_ than that." Thane thought but kept it to himself.

"I'll get you something nice when we get back to Alliance space. I've gotta have some back pay coming."

"Trying to bribe his way out?" Thane thought looking over his shoulder watching a group of cautious hunters approach, Shepard gave the signal and Thane pointed his pistol at them holding them back so Jacob could talk to his father.

"What about your crew? _Acting captain_?" Jacob asked.

"Total loss." Ronald said casually with a shrug, "The toxic food turned them wild. They propped me up here in some kind of ritual behavior." Ronald tried explaining, Thane smirked to himself hearing his words filled with lies. Jacob crossed his arms shaking his head in disgust.

"That's the best you can do?"

"You let all your people talk back like that?...uh…who are you exactly?" Ronald asked casting a sideways glance at Jacob. Shepard turned from gazing out at the water,

"Commander Shepard of the _Normandy_. I believe you are acquainted with Mr. Taylor here." She said inclining her head towards Jacob.

"Taylor?" Ronald asked turning sharply towards him, "No, not Jacob."

"Why not me? Would ten years of this look better to anyone else in the galaxy?"

"You have to understand. This isn't me. The realities of command, they change you. I wasn't ready for that. I made sure you were taught right, before I left. I'd hope to leave it at that."

"I'm not unreasonable Captain, but ten years? What happened?" Shepard asked startled as Jacob took a step forward, his face in his father's.

"Goddamnit, why did you do this to your crew?" Jacob asked, his hand in a tight fist.

"There was resistance to the plan. Mutiny. We had to take a hard line to keep order. And things settled down. As the decay set in, we made sure the crew were comfortable. Some even seemed happier, ignorance is bliss right? And they were grateful for guidance, like an instinct. Pure authority was…easy. At first. Months in the effect lowered inebriation. They got territorial. Rank, protocol – they couldn't understand. We had to establish dominance. After awhile the perks seemed, normal." Ronald explained to the group, Shepard looked mortified, Jacob was pissed and Thane. Well Thane was hoping that Jacob would resolve this peacefully but it wasn't looking so well.

"That's it? You created a harem and played king? Ten years in a juvenile fantasy?" Jacob growled, his knuckles turning white from clenching his hand so tightly.

"I can't point to where it all went wrong, but when the beacon was ready, revealing what happened didn't seem like a good idea."

"We can help these people. Cerberus can have ships here in days and pull everyone out." Shepard said to Jacob grabbing his shoulder with her hand, he looked at her for a moment but then pulled away from her and pointed his gun at Ronald.

"He's not worth the fuel to haul him out or the air he's breathing. He's damn lucky I don't even think he's worth pulling the trigger." Jacob slowly lowered the gun, "I don't know who you are. Because your not any father I remember."

"We'll secure him for an Alliance court. For every year here, he'll have ten to think about it." Shepard said hoping to get Jacob to back down.

"Give him all the time in the galaxy. The man who did this doesn't know right from wrong."

"I'm sorry Jacob. I did the best I could." Ronald said hanging his head shamefully.

"I'm ten years past believing that." Jacob said as he turned and started to walk away. Thane let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding and he lowered his pistol.

"Is it over?" Thane whispered to Shepard as she walked by.

"Yes Thane, it's over." She replied softly.

#

Thane yawned as he walked by the Armory, they had just gotten back from the mission and Thane had gone to see Mordin about some painkillers for his headaches. He just about reached the elevator when he heard two voices arguing inside the Armory. Shepard and Jacob. Recognizing the two voices he approached the door keeping a far enough distance so that it wouldn't open.

"What is your problem Jacob?" Shepard asked.

"That green fish-reptile-alien thing is my problem!"

"Thane?"

"Yes _him_! He is_ fighting_ me for_ your_ attention! Damn lizard showing me up on Aeia!" There was a moment's pause, "I-I mean…I didn't mean it like that."

"Jacob your sweet but you work for Cerberus, I'm _not_ interested."

"_Not_ interested? Your telling me that the way you lean back on the table with your back all arched and the way you wear your tight uniform that fits the curves of your body around me isn't in the slightest bit of hinting at me? Not to mention the whole, 'So there's no Mrs. Taylor?' interest you take in my life."

"I'm sorry if I lead you on, I was only trying to learn about you"

"That's besides the fact, you work for Cerberus too!" he pointed out.

"It's different, Cerberus is here to help me not force me to work for them. "

Jacob began to protest but Shepard shot him down,

"Jacob, _drop it_. Please. We are on a mission, I need you focused."

"Yes ma'am." Jacob mumbled and Thane quickly made his way to the elevator as he heard Shepard approach the door, a sly smile spread from his lips. Mission accomplished.

* * *

**Thoughts? Opinions? Suggestions?**

**Reviews encourage me to keep writing please submit one!**

**Notice any errors? PM me!  
**

**R&R**


End file.
